Department for Transport

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Tachographs

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter fromBaroness Vere of Norbiton to all members of the House of Lords on 24 November regarding smart 2 tachographs, when their installation will become mandatory in (1) new, and (2) existing, vehicles, for use in (a) the UK, or (b) the EU.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: A smart 2 tachograph will need to be installed and used in vehicles (in-scope of the retained EU drivers’ hours regulations) registered for the first time on or after 21st August 2023. This applies to UK and EU registered vehicles used in the UK and the EU. For vehicles registered before 21 August 2023 and used for international journeys between the UK and EU, a smart 2 tachograph will need to be installed in three cases. All cases apply to vehicles registered in the UK and also the EU. These are: on or after 31st December 2024, for vehicles equipped with an analogue tachograph or a digital tachograph;on or after 19th August 2025, for vehicles equipped with a smart tachograph 1; and,on or after 1st July 2026, for vehicles with a maximum permissible mass, including any trailer or semi-trailer, between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes, used for hire or reward transport.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to leave the Energy Charter Treaty; and if so, when.

Lord Callanan: The Government is closely monitoring developments in the Energy Charter Treaty as part of its engagement with the Treaty’s modernisation process.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance they have given to (1) businesses, or (2) academic institutions, in connection with low carbon aviation in the form of (a) grants, (b) loans, (c) guarantees or indemnities, (d) acquisitions of shares or securities, (e) undertakings or assets, or (f) incurring expenditure, for the benefit of the body assisted in the creation of (i) hydrogen fuel cells, (ii) other electric battery technologies, (iii) hydrogen combustion, (iv) synthetic liquid fuels, and (v) biofuels.

Lord Callanan: The Government co-invests in mid-stage R&D, with industry, to develop new ultra-efficient and zero-carbon aircraft technologies through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. Since 2013, the ATI Programme has committed R&D grants to 29 industry-led collaborative projects on new forms of propulsion or fuels totalling £194m. Industry will co-invest £178m alongside these grants. The R&D projects cover a range of technologies but are primarily focused on aircraft propulsion systems involving hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, and electric motors and machines. Each project involves a range of collaborators including industry partners, universities and research organisations. Grants through the ATI Programme have also been provided to develop aircraft gas turbine engines, which have included work packages to test synthetic fuels or biofuels. We have not been able to isolate the cost of this element of research within large projects, so have not included it in the figures set out above. In order to explore the potential for zero-carbon emission flight, the Government also provided a £15m grant to the ATI-led FlyZero project. This in-depth research study, which was completed in March 2022, found green liquid hydrogen offers the greatest potential to power future zero-carbon emission aircraft. To kickstart a domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, the Government has made £227m available, since 2014, to support the development of advanced fuel plants. This includes investing in 8 SAF plants through the Green Fuels, Green Skies competition and more recently launching the £165m Advanced Fuels Fund. The Government has separately committed £12m to establish a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and certification of new SAF and £1m to run the first-ever passenger aircraft flight powered by 100% SAF, between the UK and the US, through the Net Zero Transatlantic Flight Fund. These investments are coupled with the £400m UK Government partnership with Breakthrough Energy Catalyst into emerging climate technologies, including SAF.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Protective Clothing

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 November (HL Deb cols 207GC to 215GC), who took the decision to spend £770,000 a day to store 120 million items of PPE in China.

Lord Markham: The Government is not spending £770,000 a day to store personal protective equipment (PPE) in China. The average daily cost of storing PPE in China is £106,000 and we are working to further reduce this cost. The business case for this storage was approved in October 2020 by the Department’s relevant accounting officer and was consistent with the governance routes for expenditure on PPE.

Midwives: Apprentices

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government which institutions in England offer midwifery apprenticeships.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the sites of nine approved midwifery degree apprenticeship programmes in England.LocationDescriptionUniversity of BedfordshireThis is a shortened programmeUniversity of BirminghamThis is a shortened programme which is approved but not currently runningBuckingham New UniversityThis is a three year programme which is approved but not currently runningUniversity of CumbriaThis is a three year programme which is integrated with the fee paying programme and runs in September each yearUniversity of GreenwichThis is a three year programme which is integrated with the fee paying programme and runs in September and January each yearHuddersfield UniversityThis is a three year programme which is approved but not currently runningUniversity of West of EnglandThis is a three year programme which is approved but not currently runningUniversity of West LondonThis is a three year programme which is integrated with the fee paying programme and runs in September and April each yearWolverhampton UniversityThis is a three year programme which is integrated with the fee paying programme and runs in September each year

Medicine: Education

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens trained as doctors in Eastern European medical schools, including in countries outside the EU, in each year from 2015 to date; and how many have registered as medical practitioners with the General Medical Council.

Lord Markham: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: Pay

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government, what was the annual pay increase provided to (1) medical consultants, (2) GPs, (3) nurses, (4) porters, and (5) NHS Chief Executives, for each year since 2009; and how this compared to the RPI rate in each of those years.

Lord Markham: The Pay Review Body process is the established mechanism for determining pay increases in the public sector, outside of negotiating multi-year pay and contract reform deals.A table showing annual increases to basic pay for National Health Service consultants, salaried general practitioners (GPs) and GP partners, nurses and health visitors and NHS Chief Executives in each year from 2009/10 to 2022/23 compared with the average Retail Price Index inflation is attached, due to the size of the data.Information on pay increases for porters is not held in the format requested.NHS annual pay increases (docx, 24.3KB)

Medicine: Education

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government how many British applicants trained as medical students in each year from 2015 to 2021; and how many of those applicants were accepted to train as doctors in each of those years.

Lord Markham: The information requested on the nationality of students on medical courses in England or the United Kingdom is not held centrally. However, the Office for Students (OFS) reports the intake of medical students at UK medical schools by ‘home fees’ and ‘other fees’ status. ‘Home’ fee status refers to students eligible to pay the ‘home’ level of tuition fees, where individuals must be resident and ‘settled’ in the UK on ‘the first day of the first academic year’ of their course. With some exceptions, they must also have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for the three years prior to that date. The following table shows the number of starters in English medical schools by ‘home’ fees status in each year since 2015/16.2015/165,4452016/175,4952017/185,4602018/196,1202019/206,8852020/217,5702021/227,780Source: OFS medical and dental intakesThe information requested on the number of British nationals or the number of ‘home fees’ students who subsequently join the Foundation Programme of training in UK hospitals is not held centrally.

Doctors: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government how many registered medical practitioners have (1) left, and (2) joined, NHS employment, in each year since 2015.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of Hospital and Community Health Service doctors which have joined and left active service in the National Health Service hospital trusts and commissioning bodies in June of each year since 2014.PeriodNumber of leaversNumber of joinersJune 2014 to June 201515,50717,963June 2015 to June 201617,22217,950June 2016 to June 201716,10919,164June 2017 to June 201816,58019,524June 2018 to June 201918,41321,670June 2019 to June 202017,11426,243June 2020 to June 202117,80620,915June 2021 to June 202219,84624,207 Source: NHS Digital workforce statisticsThis includes those staff moving to or joining from settings such as primary care and general practice. This movement is commonplace with the rotations of placements undertaken by doctors in training grades. It will also include staff who choose to take breaks from active service such as career breaks and maternity or paternity leave.

Midwives: Apprentices

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which midwifery apprenticeships are an effective route into the profession in England.

Lord Markham: Health Education England has commissioned the Royal College of Midwives to undertake an evaluation of midwifery degree apprenticeship programmes. This will undertake a cost/benefit analysis of the programme and evaluate the experience of delivery. The outcomes are expected in April 2023.

Prescription Drugs

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) pharmacists, (2) registered nurses, (3) physiotherapists, (4) occupational therapists, (5) radiographers, (6) and paramedics, are registered to prescribe medicines; what proportion of each of those professions are licensed; and what plans they have to expand the numbers of each of those groups registered and the range of medicines covered.

Lord Markham: This information is not held centrally. Pharmacists, registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers and paramedics are subject to statutory regulation and must be registered with the relevant healthcare regulatory body to practise in the United Kingdom. Pharmacists are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, registered nurses are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers and paramedics are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.Pharmacists, registered nurses, physiotherapists, therapeutic radiographers and paramedics are legally entitled to be independent prescribers. Diagnostic radiographers are legally entitled to be supplementary prescribers. Individuals must have completed an approved post-registration training course and have an annotation placed against their name in the professional register to state that they have completed this course before this entitlement can be utilised. Occupational therapists are currently able to supply and/or administer medicines under a Patient-Specific Direction or Patient Group Direction within local clinical governance arrangements.The Department is responsible for providing the legal framework for allowing registered health professionals to train as independent prescribers. Healthcare providers are responsible for utilising the legal framework to increase local capacity according to clinical need and the desired service configuration. The medicines which may be prescribed is dependent on the individual’s clinical competence and scope of practice. Where any controlled drugs are to be prescribed, there must be specific provision in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

Physician Associates

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of physician assistants currently employed in the NHS; and what plans they have to expand the number of physician assistants in England.

Lord Markham: As of June 2022, there were 1,261 full time equivalent (FTE) physician associates (PAs) employed in National Health Service hospital trusts and commissioning bodies. This is an increase of 18% from the previous year. In September 2002, there were also 1,362 FTE PAs employed in general practice and Primary Care Networks, an increase of 51% from the previous year.There are approximately 1,800 students on a PA programme. Health Education England offers a £5,000 preceptorship allowance paid to employers to support the supervision and educational needs for newly qualified PAs working in primary care.

Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Young People

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to tackle illicit (1) tobacco, and (2) vape, sales to underage young people.

Lord Markham: Tackling illicit tobacco: From leaf to light The HMRC and Border Force strategy to tackle tobacco smuggling was published in May 2015. This strategy implements an approach to address illicit tobacco across the Government through agencies such as the Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs, local Trading Standards and working with other enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and overseas to disrupt, deter and punish those involved. A copy of the strategy is attached.In 2019, HM Revenue and Customs introduced the UK system for the tracking and tracing of legitimate cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco manufactured in or imported into the UK and through the supply chain to retail. There are plans to legislate to introduce greater sanctions for non-compliance, which includes a civil penalty of up to £10,000 for serious breaches. In 2020, the Government introduced funding for HM Revenue and Customs and National Trading Standards to address the trade in illicit tobacco through Project CeCe and support regional co-operation.We have a strong regulatory framework to deter the appeal of vaping to children by restricting product advertising, limits on nicotine strength, labelling and safety requirements, a duty to notify products to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and making it illegal to sell vapes and tobacco to those aged under 18 years old. The Department continues to work with enforcement agencies to ensure these regulations are enforced in England. The Government is currently considering recommendations on illicit tobacco and measures to deter children from vaping and further information will be available in due course.Tackling illicit tobacco: From leaf to light (pdf, 276.9KB)

Patient Choice Schemes

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the proportion of patients who were offered a choice of where they received their NHS consultant-led treatment in each year since 2015.

Lord Markham: This information is not held in the format requested. However, NHS Digital has collected data on the proportion of patients offered a choice of provider for elective referrals from those who responded to the Manage Your Referral (MYR) NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) Survey. The MYR e-RS Survey enables patients who have used e-RS for elective referrals for directly bookable services to record their experience of being offered a choice of elective care provider. These results are available to integrated care boards and NHS England to review, assure and improve in order to meet its responsibilities related to patient choice.The following table shows the responses received to the question “When you agreed to be referred to a specialist, did you talk about the different hospitals or services you could go to?” in each year since 2018.YearYesNoDon’t knowSample size201839%59%2%6,962201938%60%3%4,722202035%62%3%8,099202132%65%2%6,158202231%66%3%5,045 The following table shows the responses received to the question “Did you feel that you were able to make choices that met your needs?” in each year since 2018.YearYesNoDon’t knowSample size201839%59%2%6,962201977%15%9%4,722202077%14%9%8,099202174%16%10%6,158202271%18%11%5,045

Neural Tube Defects

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many pregnancies affected by neural tube defects were second or subsequent pregnancies, in each of the last five years.

Lord Markham: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government whether allmeasures of (1) whole blood folate, and (2) serum folate, in the UK are conducted by mass spectrometry-based methods.

Lord Markham: The information is not collected centrally.

Neural Tube Defects: Blood Tests

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many blood samples connected to neural tube defects have been sent for analysis to the Centre for Disease Control in the United States in each of the last five years.

Lord Markham: The NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme aims to detect neural tube defects through the 20-week screening scan rather than a blood sample.

Health Services: Prisoners

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that prisoners in England and Wales have access to healthcare of equivalent quality to that received by the general public.

Lord Markham: As a signatory to the National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare, the Department of Health and Social Care is committed to working with the Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to ensure safe, legal, decent and effective care which improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities for prisoners. As of October 2022, 96% of new arrivals in the adult custodial estate, excluding Immigration Removal Centres and short-term holding facilities, received an initial health screening and 83% received a further health assessment within seven days.

Health: Disadvantaged

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to commission further research into smoking related health disparities.

Lord Markham: While there are no specific plans to do so, we continue to work with researchers on smoking related health disparities. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is a partner in the SPECTRUM research consortium, which undertakes research on unhealthy products such as tobacco, alcohol and food and health disparities.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Markham on 16 November (HL3261) and 17 November (HL3260),what data they can provide on patient numbers at (1) NHS gambling clinics, and (2) the NHS national children and young person’s pilot gambling clinic.

Lord Markham: While the information requested is not held by clinic, the following table shows the number of referrals to the NHS London Gambling Service via the National Problem Gambling Clinic and Children and Young Person’s Clinic and the Northern Gambling Service in Leeds, Manchester and Sunderland in each year since 2020/21. 2020/217752021/221,013April to September 2022599 Data from the Children and Young Person’s Clinic includes referrals for gaming.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Markham on 16 November (HL3261) and 17 November (HL3260),why they do not have the data requested; and what plans they have to collect such data.

Lord Markham: The information requested is currently collected by service rather than by clinic. In 2023/24, NHS England plans to report data from all National Health Service gambling services through the Mental Health Services Dataset.

Ophthalmic Services: Special Educational Needs

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to renew the NHS contract for the Special Schools Eye Care service; and what timetable has been laid out for a decision on the future of this service.

Lord Markham: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to ensure that children and young people with a learning disability and/or autism in special residential schools have access to eyesight, hearing and dental checks. In 2021, NHS England commenced a proof of concept programme to pilot and evaluate a potential sight testing service model in residential schools. The pilot is currently being evaluated and we expect this to conclude early in 2023.NHS England has confirmed that existing contracts in day schools will continue until 31 March 2023. The evaluation of the proof of concept pilot will also inform whether this service should continue.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement on 17 November, whether they will provide a breakdown of the funding available for social care in England in the years (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025, and how much of this funding will be provided by (a) central government, and (b) local authorities from council tax.

Lord Markham: Up to an additional £2.8 billion will be available for social care in 2023/24 and £4.7 billion in 2024/25. This is further to previous grant funding agreed at the Spending Review 2021. We are also providing £500 million in winter 2022/23 to support local areas to accelerate safe discharge from hospital. Funding available for social care in England beyond 2024/25 will be determined at a future Spending Review.

Heart Diseases: Primary Health Care

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 11 July (HL1644), what steps they are taking to roll out the ‘Managing Heart Failure @home’ scheme across the NHS following its successful pilot in July.

Lord Markham: NHS England is selecting early adopter sites to trial a ‘Managing Heart Failure@home’ approach and is working with clinical cardiac networks on local plans for systems to support patients with managing heart failure and raising awareness.

Heart Diseases: Health Education

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 11 July (HL1645), what steps they are taking to raise awareness of heart failure, particularly among those most at risk.

Lord Markham: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is addressing the factors which increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, including working with local government to modernise the NHS Health Check programme and delivering social marketing and behavioural interventions.

Neural Tube Defects

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many births there have been in each of the last five years that were classed as (1) spina bifida, (2) hydrocephalus, and (3) anencephaly, caused by neural tube defects.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of births and birth prevalence for spina bifida, hydrocephalus and anencephaly caused by neural tube defects in 2018 and 2019. Data prior to 2018 is not available in the format requested. Data for 2020 will be published in December.  Number of births in 2019Prevalence per 10,000 total births and 95% confidence interval in 2019Number of births in 2018Prevalence per 10,000 total births and 95% confidence interval in 2018Spina bifida3355.4 (4.9-6.1)3365.3 (4.8-6)Hydrocephalus2664.3 (3.8-4.9)2423.9 (3.4-4.4)Anencephalus and similar3175.2 (4.6-5.8)2774.4 (3.9-5) Source: The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration ServiceNote:The denominator used to calculate prevalence is obtained from the Office for National Statistics and reflects all live and still births in 2018 and 2019. These figures are for England and the crown dependencies.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review

Lord Macdonald of River Glaven: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the remainder of the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid, published on 29 November 2021; and in particular, the recommendation to raise the rates of pay for prison law work.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The Government published its full response to the consultation on the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review on 30 November; this included the recommendation to raise the rates of pay for prison law work. The response can be found here: Response to Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Brazil: Foreign Relations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to strengthen bilateral relations with Brazil, particularly regarding climate change; and what discussions they (1) are having, or (2) plan to have, with the government of that country.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK welcomed Brazil's commitments at COP26 to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2028 and restore 18 million hectares of forest by 2030. We look forward to working with the current and incoming Brazilian Government to protect Earth's natural resources. At COP27, I, Climate Envoy John Murton, DEFRA Secretary of State Therese Coffey and BEIS Minister Stuart met current and incoming ministerial and Congress representatives from Brazil. They discussed potential cooperation with the UK, including on trade policies that reflect climate and nature. We are keen to develop a partnership with Brazil to implement commitments made in Glasgow that deliver green growth for both countries.

Libya: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current (1) political, and (2) security, situation in Libya; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to improve the current political situation and prevent a return to civil war.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Almost a year since failed elections in Libya, the political impasse continues without a clear route to elections and with an on-going risk of increased violence and insecurity. The UK is committed to supporting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to reinvigorate the UN-facilitated, Libyan-led and owned political process, including parliamentary and presidential elections, in order to secure peace, stability and prosperity in Libya. In October, we hosted senior officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the US to discuss supporting UN efforts to get Libya back on a credible electoral footing.

Anush Apetyan

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan following allegations about the torture and murder of Anush Apetyan by Azerbaijani forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK government continue to raise our concerns regarding alleged atrocities committed during the conflict directly with the relevant authorities. During a meeting with the Azerbaijani Ambassador on 9 November, the Minister for Europe raised allegations that atrocities had been committed during fighting along the international border in September. On 3 October the British Embassy in Baku issued a statement regarding allegations of mistreatment and abuses following fighting in September. On 6 October, the UK Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe highlighted UK concerns over the reports and noted that the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's office have launched an investigation.

China: Uyghurs

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner reportOHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, published on 31 August, which found that human rights violations against the Uyghur population "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity", what steps they are taking in response to that finding.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provides new evidence of the extent of China's efforts to silence and repress Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. It includes a broad range of evidence, including first-hand accounts from victims.The UK has led international efforts to pressure China to change its behaviour. We have imposed sanctions, led joint statements at the UN, taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains, funded research to expose China's actions, and consistently raised China's human rights violations at the highest levels in Beijing. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on 20 September.Given the seriousness of the report's findings, on 6 October we supported formal action at the UN Human Rights Council that requested a Council Debate on the situation in Xinjiang. While this vote didn't pass, China's attempts to stifle debate and hide the truth will not succeed. We will continue to work with our partners to hold the Chinese authorities to account and continue to shine a spotlight on China's human rights violations.

Vladimir Kara-Murza

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia concerning the imprisonment of British citizen, Vladimir Kara-Murza, in Russia.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to impose the Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for the arrest of Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: British Embassy officials have attended Vladimir Kara-Murza's court hearings with other international partners, the last hearing being 24 October. We remain vigilant to attempts by the Russian Government to exclude diplomats from future court hearings following Mr Kara-Murza's additional treason charge. Our Ambassador in Moscow raised the issue of consular access with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In May, the Foreign Secretary met Mr Kara-Murza's wife, in his previous role as Minister for Europe, and emphasised his determination to continue raising Mr Kara-Murza's case at multilateral fora, including the OSCE. We note the Canadian Government's sanctions relating to Mr Kara-Murza. We do not comment on future sanctions designations.

Ukraine: Electricity

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with NATO allies to send all available (1) volunteer electrical engineers, and (2) electrical generators, to Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Under NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine, the UK and NATO Allies are working to provide urgent non-lethal support to Ukraine to meet specific requests, including practical support for the winter months. The UK recently announced a £10 million contribution to the CAP to ensure it has the resources required to respond to requests. Bilaterally, the UK has provided £22 million of support: £7 million for 856 generators to reconnect vital facilities; £10 million to the Energy Community's support fund to repair infrastructure; and £5 million for safety equipment for the civil nuclear sector. We work in close coordination with NATO Allies on support.

Refugee Convention

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to withdraw from (1) the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and (2) the 1966 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees; and if they have any such plans, what assessment they have made of the need for parliament to have a role in such withdrawals.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government does not have plans to withdraw from the Refugee Convention and its Protocol.

Algeria: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Algeria following reports of the expulsion of more than 60 Syrian and Palestinian refugees from Algeria into a desert region of Niger.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports regarding the deportation of refugees of multiple nationalities to Niger by the Algerian authorities. We hold regular discussions with the Algerian Government on human rights, judicial, and home affairs issues.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Guidance, published on 26 January 2017, on what dates in (1) 2021, and (2) 2022, they sought an assurance from the government of Bahrain that the practice of the death penalty would no longer be carried out; and why they continue to provide funding to the government of Bahrain despite the death penalty still being in place in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I refer the noble Lord to my replies to HL2553 of 26 October and HL2983 of 10 November. The UK's long-standing policy is to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, in all countries, as a matter of principle, which we have made clear on a regular basis to the Government of Bahrain.

Mohammed Ramadhan

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 November (HL2934), when were the last five occasions they raised the case of Mohammed Ramadhan with the government of Bahrain; what was the job title of the UK representative who raised the case; and what was the job title of the Bahraini representative or authority with whom the case was raised.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I refer the noble Lord to my answers to HL2556 of 26 October and HL2934 of 9 November. The UK's long-standing policy is to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, in all countries, as a matter of principle, which we have made clear on a regular basis to the Government of Bahrain. This includes regarding the case of Mohammed Ramadhan and others.

Department for Work and Pensions

Carers: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to unpaid carers in response to the impact of the increased cost of living.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends, including pensioners and those with disabilities. Depending on personal circumstances, carers may be eligible for means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Means-tested benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the Carer Element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Nearly 60% of carers on low incomes who are of working age and on Carer’s Allowance, also claim a means-tested benefit through which they may be entitled to receive a Cost of Living Payment. We would encourage anyone who is providing unpaid care, and who is not already in receipt of a means-tested benefit, to check on Gov.UK to confirm whether there are other benefits they may be entitled to. Advice can also be sought from organisations such as Carers UK and Citizen’s Advice. Means tested benefits can provide extra weekly income and trigger extra support with the cost of living. To ensure stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement the Government has announced £26 billion in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable households, an additional £1 billion to help with the cost of household essentials next year and the amended Energy Price Guarantee, which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24. In addition, we are uprating benefits for working age households and disabled people, as well as the basic and new State Pensions, all by 10.1%. Other cost of living support available to unpaid carers includes a non-repayable £400 discount on energy bills available for all domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. For those who require additional support with the cost of household essentials, we have provided an extension to the Household Support Fund in England backed by £421 million, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.

Home Office

Asylum: Applications

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of figures by the Refugee Council on 14 October, how many applications for asylum have not had an initial decision reached for more than five years; and what factors have led to delays of that length.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office is unable to state how many applications for asylum have not had an initial decision reached for more than five years because the Home Office does not publish this information.However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration, for main applicants only. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics: List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The Home Office also publish data on the percentage of asylum applications processed within 6 months of the date of claim. Data showing the number of asylum claims received from 2014 – 2022 that were processed within 6 months can be found at Asy_01 of the Asylum Transparency Data: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The asylum system has been under mounting pressure for several years. Increased and sustained intake and a growing number of people awaiting a decision has led to significant delays in concluding asylum claims.However, there are many factors that can delay and contribute to the length of time to process asylum claims; some applications have complex needs, safeguarding issues, are extremely vulnerable or where they have had a modern slavery claim attached to their claim. We therefore take full consideration of these facts when prioritising and progressing outstanding asylum claims and that can lead to longer waiting times for some.

Asylum: Applications

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany asylum seekers were waiting for a decision on their application in each of the last five years

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ on gov.uk. Data on asylum applications awaiting a decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.At the end of September 2022, there were 117,400 cases awaiting an initial decision.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Listed Buildings: Energy Performance Certificates

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government in which circumstances, and under what conditions, listed properties will be exempt from Energy Performance Certificates requirements; and whether they will issue guidelines to that effect.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: In setting the regulations that mandate Energy Performance Certificates, the government recognised that not all owners of listed buildings should be required to obtain an Energy Performance Certificates and an exemption is available where compliance with minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance.The government has issued guidelines to that effect in the published guidance, 'A guide to Energy Performance Certificates for the marketing, sale and let of dwellingsEnergy Performance Certificates (pdf, 345.4KB)

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Football Governance Fan-led Review

Lord Pendry: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their response to the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance which concluded there is a significant risk of financialfailure at football clubs, what steps they are taking to address this risk pending the publication of their White Paper.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government published its response to the recommendations made by the Independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022. We fully recognise the need for football to be reformed to ensure the game’s long-term sustainability. We are now taking the time to consider the policy response, and are continuing to engage with the football authorities and fan groups in the development of this policy. We remain committed to publishing a White Paper, setting out our detailed response to the fan-led review of football governance, and will set this out in due course. In the meantime, football authorities can take forward some of the reforms themselves, including financial redistribution, which we continue to urge them to do.

BBC Board: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the BBC Member for Northern Ireland to be appointed to the BBC Board.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Interviews for this campaign were held on 31 October, and an appointment will be made in due course, in line with the Code of Governance for Public Appointments and the BBC Royal Charter.

Data Protection: Codes of Practice

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the report by the Information Commissioner's Office,Anonymisation: managing data protection risk code of practice, published in November 2012, (1) is still a statutory code of practice, and (2) if anonymising data only in line with the 2012 code, removesall of a data controller’s obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The ICO Code of Practice on Anonymisation published in November 2012 was issued under the Data Protection Act 1998. That legislation was repealed and replaced by the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in May 2018. The 2012 report is therefore no longer a valid code of practice, although information which is anonymous continues to fall outside the scope of the UK’s data protection legislation.The ICO is currently carrying out a call for views on its new, draft guidance on anonymisation, pseudonymisation, and privacy-enhancing technologies, due to finish on 31 December 2022. This new guidance includes key considerations organisations should undertake when determining whether information can be safely considered anonymous, and therefore outside the scope of data protection legislation.

Musicians: EU Countries

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in their work to help UK musicians to tour EU countries after the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting the UK’s world-class creative industries to adapt to new arrangements following our departure from the European Union.We have worked extensively with the sector and directly with EU Member States, and have clarified arrangements on the movement of people, goods, and haulage. We have taken steps to support specialist concert hauliers, and have worked across Government and with the sector to develop guidance including ‘landing pages’ on GOV.UK specifically for touring musicians and other professionals from the creative sectors.Through this work, we have confirmed that:nearly all EU Member States offer visa- and work-permit-free routes for musicians and creative performers. This includes – following extensive engagement by the Government and the creative sector – Spain and, most recently, Greece, which announced a visa- and work-permit-free route in June 2022;portable musical instruments, carried or in a vehicle, can be transported cost-free and should not require ATA Carnets; andsmall ‘splitter vans’ are not subject to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement limits on ‘haulage for the creative sectors’ and ‘cross trade’. In addition, the Government has introduced dual registration to support specialist hauliers, meaning they can benefit from more generous market access arrangements in Great Britain and the EU.We continue to work closely with the sector to support musicians and other creative professionals to tour internationally, both in the European Union and more widely.

English National Opera: Finance

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government with whom Arts Council England consulted prior to their decision to withdraw all national programme funding from English National Opera.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government whether Arts Council England discussed with English National Opera a plan of transition from their base in London, prior to their decision to withdraw all national programme funding from the organisation.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the London Coliseum is under public (1) ownership, or (2) control; and if so, (a) what is its legal status, and (b) whether Arts Council England or any other public body retain any residual control or ownership rights, including the power to sell the venue.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, through its Investment Programme are taken by Arts Council England at arm’s length from His Majesty’s Government.Arts Council England has a robust process to determine how funding decisions are made. The decisions were made in line with its published guidance and in response to its ten-year strategy, ‘Let’s Create’. Assessments were carried out by Arts Council England, and decisions were made by its Area and National Councils, which include both local representatives and people who work in the sector.The London Coliseum is owned freehold by English National Opera and is not under public ownership or control. The property can be used according to the terms as set out in agreements between English National Opera and each of its funders. This includes Arts Council England.